yolland said:
That's interesting about using tug games as Schutzhund success predictors with GSD puppies...I suppose with lots of breeds there must be various games they use like that, to get an early idea which pups seem cut out for breed-appropriate sports and which ones probably aren't.
Liesje said:Share? not quite. They each try to take all the toys before the other gets one. Luckily, we have 5 toys and 2 dogs so it usually works out. They both really like the tomato though!
JessicaAnn said:
Only 5 toys? My little girl has a plastic milk crate full of toys.
I know ... she's spoiled.
I glanced at a few articles online about retriever, collie and chow coat color genetics. Apparently the reason why retrievers occasionally whelp a black-and-tan puppy is because early in those breeds' development, it was fairly common for breeders to cross them with Gordons from time to time. So, some retriever lines still carry the recessive form of the 'agouti' gene which codes for that particular pattern, and if a puppy gets one of those from each parent PLUS at least one copy of another gene (dominant, but rare in retrievers) which enables pigment cells to 'recognize' that double recessive, it will turn out black-and-tan. That exact same combo creates the black-and-tan patterning typical of the other breeds you mentioned--as well as the patterning of tricolor collies (and many Aussies), who only look different because collies also carry a recessive form of the 'white spotting' gene, which breaks up their other colorings with the classic collie 'mane' and 'boots.' As for chow chows, apparently they never carry the black-and-tan gene, and in fact they're thought to only carry dominant forms of 'agouti,' period. So...assuming Coke's sire wasn't a purebred chow, which hardly looks likely from the photos, I guess it's not so mysterious after all that a retriever/collie/chow mix could come out black-and-tan!Liesje said:I don't know much about genetics and coat patterning in general. There are many breeds that have the same black and tan pattern he has. German Shepherds have it and we call it "blanket black" (the dog is mostly black except for the tan areas, same markings as a rottie or dobe). I'm hesitant to say "rottie" or "dobe" just based on the black and tan. He doesn't really have any characteristics of those breeds. His pattern is found in German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Dobermans, English Shepherds, Hovawarts, Gordon Setters, Coonhounds, etc, etc. Coke actually looks pretty much like a purebred Hovawart and if that were an AKC breed, I would ILP him as a Hovawart.
Labrador Retrievers can be black and tan and even brindle, but they are DQs in the ring.
Liesje said:Is anyone else secretly obsessed with Leonbergers? I love them!! It doesn't help that there is one in the pet therapy class that meets after mine (and this past week we all met together so I sat next to them).
I'll just add them to the list of breeds I love but will likely never own...
* Akita
* Basenji
* Saarloos Wolfhund
* Leonberger
(It's likely I will never own anything but German Shepherds, Dutch Shepherds, Beaucerons, and Malinois).
Liesje said:OMG, Mia, he is SOOOOO cute! (and you too!). See I can never get an Aussie now because I will always be comparing them to Bailey and I've never seen one so cute! I really mean that.